-LRB- CNN -RRB- Last month 's so-so jobs numbers confirm the challenges our economy still faces . Despite recent gains , only 126,000 jobs were added , the lowest since December 2013 . Wages remain sluggish . And unemployment may still be at 5.5 % , but there is wide concern among labor experts and economists that too much job growth is in part-time low-income work .

Low-wage workers have been the hardest hit since the onset of the financial crisis , and low-wage jobs remain a fixture of the new economy . Nearly 60 % of the people in America 's workforce are paid hourly and work part-time .

Most part-time employees are doing low-wage work . Tackling this growing trend is complex . But there is a simple step we can take to improve the conditions of low-wage workers today . Congress should help low-wage workers gain access to predictable work schedules .

Here is how this issue works :

America 's major fast-food chains , retailers and department stores use `` just-in-time '' scheduling to maximize profit , which in turn creates unstable and stressful work environments for low-wage workers . This type of scheduling has increased dramatically because of sophisticated software that ties staffing to expected customer traffic . Algorithms , built on sales and economic data , provide real-time information for managers to make personnel adjustments .

Not surprisingly , such haphazard scheduling wreaks havoc with low-wage workers .

Hourly low-income workers endure significantly greater fluctuations in their hours and less predictability in how much they earn than full-time employees . Many do n't even know their weekly schedules until the last moment . A University of Chicago study found that 41 % of early career hourly workers and 47 % who work part-time received a week or less of notice of their work schedules .

Imagine dealing with this as you are trying to earn a basic living , find reliable child care , get new vocational skills , or attend to medical needs .

Women and workers of color most acutely struggle with this practice . Women comprise over two-thirds of the nearly 20 million workers in low-wage jobs like home health care , fast food work , and cash services .

Similarly , a large proportion of minorities work low-wage jobs . Nearly 50 % of African-Americans and Latinos receive their hours with a week or less notice . By comparison , almost 40 % of whites receive weekly notice . Minorities also have much less of an ability to control their hours . Only 10 % of Latinos and 12 % of black workers reported being able to set their hours within certain limits or freely . Within this same context , 18 % of whites said they could .

Child care is the primary casualty of just-in-time scheduling . Because of erratic shifts , child care centers often ca n't accommodate a working mother 's schedule . Many must attend to informal arrangements , which by nature are unstable and unreliable .

Traditional economic safeguards have offered little help to these workers . Unions , for example , have provided little protection against just-in-time scheduling because of their nascent role in the service economy .

Real solutions exist . States and cities are enacting laws to address scheduling abuses . New York , Minnesota and Michigan previously introduced promising legislation . And in December , San Francisco became the first jurisdiction to pass a `` retail worker bill of rights . '' This ordinance limits how chain stores can alter their employees ' schedules .

Still , there is no substitute for federal action . Too many people work in states with little protection . Washington ignores the problem because congressional Republicans have shown little interest in the plight of low-wage workers .

Last summer , The Schedules that Work Act was introduced in Congress . According to the National Women 's Law Center , the bill would provide workers the right to request and receive predictable work schedules , receive compensation for sudden scheduling changes , and not fear retaliation if they request scheduling accommodations from their boss . Although the bill expired last session it will likely be reintroduced .

And yet the bill will most likely not pass . Congressional Republicans have demonstrated they are more interested in unraveling worker protections under the guise of supporting economic growth .

Conservatives should embrace this work-schedule legislation . The bill protects families and allows them to attend to their many obligations , not just work . Protecting shift workers is likewise good for business . Studies show that workers who exercise greater control over their hours are happier and more efficient . Conversely , just-in-time scheduling increases worker turnover and hurts worker satisfaction .

While Washington stalls , it 's everyday Americans who are hurt . It 's the single mom in Chattanooga working as a Walmart cashier who 's juggling work and childcare for her kids . It 's the Arby 's line cook in Fort Worth who needs reliable shifts to make her dialysis treatments . It 's the stock man at an Amazon fulfillment center in Lehigh Valley who ca n't get his son to pre-algebra tutoring because of his erratic shifts .

Our leaders have the unique responsibility to protect America and attend to the critical economic challenges of our time . Even with the weaker-than-expected jobs report we know our overall economy is improving , yet income-inequality is deepening . Congress must endorse a recovery that 's inclusive , livable , and one that enables every family to balance competing obligations . They can start by passing legislation that better protects shift workers from arbitrary and unpredictable scheduling practices .

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Vijay Das : So-so jobs numbers contain truth that worries labor experts : Too much American job growth is in part-time low-income work .

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He says erratic work schedules tied to customer traffic wreaks havoc with low-wage workers ' lives . Congress can fix this